How Common Is Recent Sex Without Contraceptives Among Pediatric Emergency Department Patients?

Sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy are common in the U.S., but the prevalence of adolescent emergency department patients who engage in sex without contraceptives has been unknown and could have implications for screening practices.

These authors performed a secondary analysis of data prospectively collected from medically and behaviorally stable patients aged 14–17 who completed a survey on a tablet, in private, in 16 pediatric EDs in the U.S., answering questions about substance use and other risky behaviors. This study included the 3247 patients who answered the question, “How many times in the past 12 months have you had sex without contraceptives?” Overall, 16.5% of these patients reported engaging in sex without contrac…